Cooper (The Family Simon Book 6) by Juliana Stone Page A

organ’s week passed in a blur. She got up each day, drove out to the McLaren estate, and hid in the attic. She couldn’t even say she got much work done. Oh, she moved things around and wrote in the ledger, but it didn’t seem as if she accomplished anything. Truthfully, if she could have stayed in bed all week, she would have.
    Morgan pulled up to her usual spot and cut the engine. It was nearly one in the afternoon, and she was late by about four hours. In her defense, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days, must have forgotten to set her alarm, and her cell phone died.
    She would have stayed home, except the thought of listening to her father complain about pretty much everything while working his way through a twelve-pack of Bud wasn’t high up on her list of things to do. Which was why she’d dragged her ass out of bed, had a quick shower, and snuck out of the house without her dad even knowing.
    She was pretty sure Cooper wouldn’t notice her lateness anyway. He spent all his time in the outbuilding, doing God knows what, and she came and went as she pleased. It was the perfect job, really. Gave her a lot of space, and considering the news she’d been hit with Sunday afternoon, she needed it.
    Nathan and Christy. Here. In Fisherman’s Landing.
    And not just for a visit. According to Sara, who’d heard the news from Mindy Delmonte, they were looking to buy a home. Seemed as if Nathan was going to join his father’s small law firm after all, and Christy would be coaching gymnastics at the competitive gym the next town over.
    A dull ache pressed into her chest. In another lifetime, it would have been Morgan.
    Slowly she got out of the car and headed into the house. She let herself in, hung up her jacket, discarded her boots, and padded down the hall to the kitchen. She opened the fridge to stow her lunch and, well, took a step back. There was actually food in the darn thing. Real food. She took a few moments to reorganize the top shelf so she could fit her lunch inside and then headed for the stairs.
    She stepped onto the landing and took exactly two steps forward when her world tipped a little off-center. Cooper Simon stood near the bathroom, his back to her, naked as the day he was born.
    Shit. She jerked back and barely managed to grab the railing. Her heart took off like a rocket as her eyes found their way back to Cooper.
    He held his cell phone to his ear and obviously had no idea she was there. He nodded to whoever was on the other end, turned sideways, and she squeaked.
    Good Lord but she had good reason to squeak. Cooper Simon was beautiful. Like the kind of beautiful that could make someone like Morgan Campbell forget how tired she was and how much her leg ached. Heck, she nearly forgot to keep hold of the railing, and at the last minute tightened her grip, because how embarrassing would it be to fall down the stairs and snap her neck. She could see the headline now: Morgan Campbell Killed by Naked Cooper.
    Just out of the shower, his skin glistened, emphasizing the hard lines and planes of his body. He was tall, with broad shoulders, defined muscles—his glutes were amazing—and a tattoo on his side gave him an edge that most women would find irresistible. It snaked up his rib cage, all charcoal and black lines and…
    Then something happened that made Morgan wish she could disappear altogether. Cooper turned and faced her, still chatting on the phone, still unaware she was perched at the top of the stairs. His chest was thrust forward, one arm stretched behind his head—which was tipped back—and his gaze was on the ceiling.
    Her stomach dropped, like all the way to the basement, and dammit, she should have closed her eyes. Slammed those puppies shut as soon as he turned. But she didn’t. In fact, they were wide open, and all that focus she seemed to have lost throughout the week? It was back. Big-time.
    Gorgeous chest.
    To-die-for abs.
    Flat stomach.
    And…
    Oh. My.
    She confirmed what